{"id":321959,"date":"2025-11-27T18:37:26","date_gmt":"2025-11-27T18:37:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/american-history\/a-1950s-homemade-christmas-jocohistory-blog\/"},"modified":"2025-11-27T18:37:26","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T18:37:26","slug":"a-1950s-homemade-christmas-jocohistory-blog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=321959","title":{"rendered":"A 1950s Homemade Christmas | JoCoHistory Blog"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The All-Electric House is the Johnson County Museum\u2019s largest artifact \u2013 and during the holiday season, perhaps its most nostalgic! Seeing the 1950s home decked out with retro Christmas decorations donated by real Johnson Countians makes for a special Museum visit for visitors of all ages. Past seasonal displays have focused on the commercialized, technological elements of a mid-century Christmas holiday \u2013 innovations like aluminum Christmas trees, glittering light strands, and spinning color wheels. Yet in the same era, many Americans found comfort in keeping family traditions alive.<\/p>\n

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The \u201cHome for the Holidays: A Homemade Christmas\u201d exhibit is on display inside the All-Electric House and in the front yard. You can view it through January 3, 2026, included in regular Museum admission. Plan your visit at JCPRD.com\/Museum!<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A \u201chomemade Christmas\u201d was a popular holiday theme, blending creativity and self-expression with the era\u2019s strong values of family, home, and patriotism. Crafting was both a pastime and a point of pride \u2013 an opportunity to create decorations and experiences that reflected one\u2019s own style of the season.<\/p>\n

Homemade Holiday Cheer, Front and Center<\/strong><\/p>\n

Projects proposed in popular magazines and how-to books were typically in line with traditional gender roles of the era. For men, that meant stringing lights, putting up the tree, and using their array of tools to craft homemade decorations.<\/p>\n

In 1954, Popular Mechanics<\/em> magazine published detailed plans for do-it-yourself wooden cutout lawn decorations. The magazine promised readers that anyone with basic tools and little elbow grease could build professional-looking displays right at home.<\/p>\n

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Popular Mechanics magazine in November 1954 published an article with instructions and plans for creating wooden cutout lawn decorations for Christmas. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The happy snowman cutout, brought to life in front of the All-Electric House, required a saw, some elbow grease, and a little artistic talent!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Handmade D\u00e9cor for Hearth and Home<\/strong><\/p>\n

In postwar America, there seemed to be a guidebook for everything \u2013 including how to create a \u201cperfect\u201d Christmas. Magazines and manuals offered step-by-step instructions for making a personalized holiday, including gift wrapping, table centerpieces, wreaths, and children\u2019s crafts.<\/p>\n

Holiday how-to articles had suggestions for making one\u2019s home interior sparkle with homemade holiday touches. In the postwar era, the living room was considered part of the woman\u2019s realm \u2013 her stage for creativity and care. Magazines encouraged homemakers to craft their own stockings, tree ornaments, and festive d\u00e9cor to make Christmas feel meaningful.<\/p>\n

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Homemade decorations are up throughout the interior of the All-Electric House. Mary Fellman Tearney hand-stitched these felt stockings for her family in 1961.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The Perry and Sharp families handmade ornaments for their Christmas trees between 1956 and 1971. The ornaments feature beloved Christmas icons like Santa and Mrs. Claus, Raggedy Ann and Andy, a bell, and a toy soldier.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n

Homemade Holiday Cooking and Baking<\/strong><\/p>\n

The heart of every postwar holiday home was the kitchen. From fruitcakes to pies and endless trays of Christmas cookies, holiday baking was a labor of love \u2013 and a measure of mid-century wives\u2019 homemaking skills.<\/p>\n

Women \u2013 seen as the keepers of holiday traditions \u2013 could rely on trusted names like Betty Crocker<\/em> and Better Homes & Gardens<\/em> for new recipes each season. Cookbooks brimmed with ideas to brighten any holiday table, while special Christmas editions celebrated the joy of baking from scratch for friends and family.<\/p>\n

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These cookbooks from the late 1950s include recipes for Christmas cut-out cookies, spritz cookies, holiday pies, and fruit cake. A homemade holiday meal was the centerpiece of many Johnson County homes.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Visit the Museum this Holiday Season!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whether you decorate with the newest and brightest or the traditional and homemade, the holidays bring us together. Sharing stories and family memories over a meal or while reclining in the living room brings us closer together. If you are feeling nostalgic for Christmases past, visit the All-Electric House to see everything mentioned in this blog \u2013 and more!<\/p>\n

The \u201cHome for the Holidays: A Homemade Christmas\u201d exhibit will be on view through January 3 and included in regular Museum admission. To plan your visit, go to JCPRD.com\/museum.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The All-Electric House is the Johnson County Museum\u2019s largest artifact \u2013 and during the holiday season, perhaps its most nostalgic! Seeing the 1950s home decked out with retro Christmas decorations donated by real Johnson Countians makes for a special Museum visit for visitors of all ages. Past seasonal displays have focused on the commercialized, technological […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":321960,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12032],"tags":[37182,3767,336,9936,63916],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-321959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american-history","tag-1950s","tag-blog","tag-christmas","tag-homemade","tag-jocohistory"],"yoast_head":"\nA 1950s Homemade Christmas | JoCoHistory Blog - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=321959\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A 1950s Homemade Christmas | JoCoHistory Blog - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The All-Electric House is the Johnson County Museum\u2019s largest artifact \u2013 and during the holiday season, perhaps its most nostalgic! 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